Buttertough
by BubblyShell22
Summary: Buttercup gets an ego trip when she beats a monster all by herself. Can her sisters snap her out of it before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Buttertough

A/N: This is my first PPG fan fiction. I really hope that you enjoy it. In fact, PPG fan fiction was where my roots started. Please leave a review.

Summary: Buttercup is on an ego trip after she defeats a monster by herself. Can her sisters snap her out of it before it's too late?

Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls. They are owned by Craig McCracken. I only own the plot of the story.

_The city of Townsville is under attack! But here come our favorite heroes, The Powerpuff Girls. Go, Girls, go! _

The Powerpuff Girls were ready to fight. They approached the monster in full formation.

Blossom gave directions. "Okay, Girls," she said. "Let's show this monster who's boss. Bubbles, hit him with a sonic scream. Buttercup, get him with a freeze beam. I'll hit him with a one-two punch. Come on!"

Bubbles did her sonic scream, but it didn't phase the monster. He just stood there while Bubbles screamed. Then he gave a mighty roar and knocked Bubbles to the ground with a swipe of his hand.

Seeing her sister fall, Buttercup knew it was time for her to take action. She released a green beam from her hands, hoping to freeze the monster in place. But the monster blocked it and released a beam of his own. It hit Buttercup, knocking her to the ground below.

Then it was Blossom's turn. She lunged at the monster, ready to punch him, but the monster hit her with his large fist. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls was also knocked down.

"Well, that didn't work," scoffed Buttercup.

"Let's try again," suggested Bubbles.

"No way," said Buttercup. "I say we just kick his butt."

"I'll use my ice breath," said Blossom. "That'll finish him off."

"No, we need to just punch him," contradicted Buttercup. "That's the best way to finish him off."

"That won't work," scoffed Blossom.

"Do you have a better idea?" asked Buttercup.

"My ice breath can finish him off," insisted Blossom.

"It'll just freeze him," pointed out Buttercup. "It won't finish him off. We need to kick his butt good with punchin' and kickin'."

"Maybe we should use our lasers," suggested Bubbles.

"Stay out of this, Bubbles!" snapped Buttercup. "No one asked for your opinion!"

Buttercup's remark hurt Bubbles, but she kept the tears out of her eyes. Now was not the time to cry. It was a time to take action. "If you two don't stop fighting, we won't destroy the monster," she said.

"Bubbles is right," said Blossom. "This isn't getting us anywhere. Stand back, Girls. I'll show you what I can do." She lunged at the monster and used her ice breath to freeze him. Then she turned to her sisters with a look of satisfaction on her face. "See?" she gloated. "I told you it would work."

"Blossom, look out!" cried Bubbles in alarm.

"Huh?" Blossom asked. She turned around, but it was too late. The monster smacked her with his hand, knocking her to the ground.

"Oh no!" Bubbles gasped. "It looks like it's up to me to save the day." She lunged at the monster and directed her laser beams at him. The monster dodged the beams and fired his own, knocking the blue-clad Puff to the ground.

_Oh no! It looks as thought it's up to Buttercup to save the day. What are you going to do, Buttercup?_

Buttercup was mad. "That's it!" she yelled. "No one takes out my sisters and gets away with it!" She flew at the monster and delivered a series of punches and kicks. She was so fast, the monster couldn't fight back. Finally, he fell to the ground in a heap.

_Wow! Did Buttercup do what I just think she did?_

"Yes!" Buttercup cried. "The Powerpuff Girls win again!"

Blossom and Bubbles were amazed. Neither could believe that their sister had defeated a monster all by herself.

"Wow, Buttercup!" Blossom said. "I can't believe you beat that monster all by yourself!"

Bubbles giggled. "Yeah," she added. "You really kicked his butt."

"I know," Buttercup said. "I didn't think I'd be able to do it."

"But you did!" Blossom said happily. "You saved Townsville!"

"You're a hero!" Bubbles cried smiling with pride at her sister.

"Thanks, Girls," Buttercup said warmly.

When the Girls got home, Professor Utonium was waiting for them. He created The Powerpuff Girls with a mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice, plus an accidental dash of Chemical X. Now, he was like their father figure.

"Hello, Girls, did you defeat the monster?" he asked them.

Blossom and Bubbles giggled.

"What's so funny?" asked the Professor.

"We didn't defeat the monster, Buttercup did," said Blossom.

"Really?" asked the Professor.

'Yeah," said Blossom. "Bubbles and I tried to do it, but we couldn't. It looked like we were going to fail, but Buttercup rallied and fought the monster. He tried to fight back, but he couldn't, so he was defeated. Buttercup was too tough for him."

"Wow!" said the Professor. "That took a lot of guts. Were you scared?"

Buttercup had been frightened at first. She had thought that she wouldn't be able to defeat the monster on her own. However, she didn't want to admit that in front of her sisters. She'd never hear the end of it if she said anything. "Nah, I wasn't scared," she said. "I just went in there and kicked butt."

"Well, you were very brave today," said the Professor with pride. "You risked your life to help your sisters and Townsville. I'm very proud of you, Buttercup."

"Thanks," Buttercup said. She was so proud of herself.

"Why don't we celebrate?" the Professor suggested. "I could go for some ice cream right now."

"Yay!" the Girls cried. They hadn't had ice cream in a long time.

The Professor took them to the Townsville Ice Cream Parlor. "What kind of flavor do you Girls want?" he asked.

"I want the Chocolate Overload!" announced Bubbles. "With lots of chocolate syrup."

"Okay, that sounds good," said the Professor. "Blossom?"

"I'll have a vanilla sundae with whipped cream and almonds please," said Blossom.

"Great," said the Professor. "Buttercup, what do you want?'

"I'll have mint chocolate chip," replied Buttercup. "What are you gonna have, Professor?"

"I'll have a banana split," answered the Professor. "Why don't you Girls look for a table to sit at while I wait for our order."

"Okay," said Blossom. The Girls flew off to look for a spot and found a nice place by a window.

The Professor spotted them waving vigorously and went to the table, carrying the tray of food. He served the Girls and sat down. Then the family dug into their desserts.

"So, what have you Girls been up to?" asked the Professor. Sometimes, he was so busy, he never knew what the Girls were doing.

"I'm reading a really good book," answered Blossom. "I'm almost finished with it."

"I'm drawing a good picture," said Bubbles. "It's a drawing of the zoo."

"I beat that video game you got me," said Buttercup.

"Well, that's nice, Girls," their father said. "I'm so glad you've been occupying yourselves with good things."

"What have you been up to, Professor?" inquired Blossom.

"Well, you know me," said the Professor with a shrug of his shoulders. "Just tinkering around with inventions. I haven't had any breakthroughs yet, but it will happen in time."

After they finished their delicious treat, the Girls and the Professor headed home. Once there, the Professor went down to his lab to finish the project he was working on. The Girls stayed up in their room until seven and then came downstairs to watch _The TV Puppet Pals. _

The show was really funny, and the Girls were sad to see it end. When the credits began rolling, the Professor came into the room. Somehow, he always knew when the show ended. "Girls, it's time for bed," he said.

"Okay," the Girls said. They knew it would be pointless to argue with the Professor about this rule. Instead, they went upstairs and got ready for bed. Thanks to their superpowers, the Girls could get ready for bed faster than normal children. Soon, they were settled into bed, waiting for the Professor to bid them goodnight.

The Professor came in and looked tenderly at his Girls. "Goodnight, my little angels," he said, shutting off the light and leaving the night light on.

"Good night, Professor," the Girls said. They were supposed to go to sleep right away, but for some reason they couldn't. They waited for fatigue to come over them, but it just wouldn't come.

"I can't sleep," Buttercup complained.

"None of us can," said Blossom. "We're just not tired."

"What can we do?" asked Bubbles.

"Let's talk ourselves to sleep," suggested Blossom.

"Okay, but what do we talk about?" asked Buttercup.

Blossom thought for a moment. "Let's talk about what each of us would do if we didn't have superpowers. I'd be a doctor or a scientist like the Professor."

"I'd probably be a vet or a zookeeper," said Bubbles. She loved animals and sometimes had a problem with trying to bring them home.

"I'd be an athlete," Buttercup said. "Maybe I'd be a professional wrestler for the WWE. But I don't know if I'd want to do that anyway. I enjoy fighting crime and beating up bad guys. You saw me kick that monster's butt today."

"Yes, we did," said Blossom. "Just don't get a big head over this, Buttercup."

"I won't," Buttercup said.

"I'm serious," Blossom said. "I've heard of people who have triumphs and get a big head because of them."

"Spare me your lectures," scoffed Buttercup. "I'm not gonna have a big head."

_Let's just hope you're right, Buttercup! _

A/N: And that's the end of that chapter. I'll have the next chapter up soon. So, what did you guys think? Did you like it or hate it? Feel free to leave a review and let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: Show and Tell_

_A/N: Well, here's the second chapter. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed thus far. It's because of you that I'm continuing this story. _

_Disclaimer: Powerpuff Girls are owned by Craig McCracken. I just own the plot. _

_The next day…._

The Girls woke up early for school. They were excited because today was Show and Tell day at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. 

"I'm so excited," said Bubble happily. "I love Show and Tell." 

"Yeah," added Buttercup. "It's better than doing dumb schoolwork." 

"Schoolwork isn't dumb," said Blossom with a toss of her head. "I happen to like it."

"Whatever," said Buttercup, rolling her eyes. 

"What are you bringing to Show and Tell, Bubbles?" asked Blossom. 

"I'm bringing my Pretty Penny doll," replied Bubbles. "What are you bringing, Blossom?" 

"I'm bringing the book I'm reading," answered Blossom. "It's called The History of Townsville by Robert Black. So far, it's really good."

"Boring," sang Buttercup.

Blossom glared at her sister. "Well, what are you bringing, Ms. Tough Girl?" she snapped.

_Uh-oh! Blossom's done it this time! _

"I'm gonna tell everyone how I beat that monster," Buttercup said.

"Oh brother," Blossom groaned. "Just don't let your head get too big."

"I won't, sis," reassured Buttercup. "Now, stop nagging."

"Fine," said Blossom. Then all three went downstairs to say goodbye to the Professor.

The Professor was waiting downstairs by the front door. He gave each Girl a kiss and hug, reminding them to be good for Ms. Keane. Then he watched as his Girls flew off in a streak of bright colors.

When the Girls arrived at school, they immediately took their seats. Ms. Keane took roll call, and the Girls listened attentively, except for Buttercup. She was staring out the window, daydreaming about the fight she'd had with the monster.

"Blossom?" called Ms. Keane.

"Here," said Blossom as she raised her hand.

"Bubbles?" said Ms. Keane.

"Here," said Bubbles.

"Buttercup?" called Ms. Keane.

No answer.

"Buttercup?" repeated Ms. Keane.

Still no answer.

Blossom nudged her sister. "Buttercup, Ms. Keane called your name," she whispered.

"Oh," said Buttercup. "Here, Ms. Keane."

"Thank you, Buttercup," said Ms. Keane. "Next time, pay attention."

"I will," said Buttercup a little sheepishly. She hated getting reprimanded by the teacher. She looked at Blossom who had a smug smile on her face. Blossom was such a know-it-all who never did anything wrong. She always made Buttercup out to be the bad one.

After roll call, Ms. Keane said, "Who knows what day it is?"

Buttercup's hand shot up.

"Yes, Buttercup?" said Ms. Keane.

"Show and Tell," replied Buttercup proudly.

"Yes, it is, but that's not for a little while," said Ms. Keane. "Now, it's story time, and I have a very nice story to read to you. It's called Harry's Sticky Situation." 

Bubbles was excited. This sounded like a good story. Blossom sat and listened to what Ms. Keane was saying. You never knew if you could learn something. Buttercup was bored. The story didn't sound that good. In fact, it sounded stupid to her. Why couldn't they read about ray guns and fistfights?

"Once there was a toad named Harry who always got into mischief," read Ms. Keane. "He was green with spots and yellow eyes. He lived with his mom, dad, and little sister in the swamp. Harry was a very good jumper, and he often thought that he was better than everyone else. One day, his friend Arnie made a challenge. 'I bet you can't jump over Barry's Bog,' he said. He smiled smugly because he knew that Barry's Bog was a scary place. No one had ever gone there. Now, what do you think will happen to Harry?"

Buttercup raised her hand. "He'll accept the challenge," she replied.

"Okay, let's see if you're right," said Ms. Keane. "Harry looked at his friend. 'I can jump over that bog,' he said.

"'Prove it,' Arnie said.

"'I will,' said Harry. Then he went over to the bog. As he looked out at it, he remembered his parents' warning about how dangerous the bog was. He wanted to listen to his parents, but he also wanted to prove to Arnie that he could jump the bog. He took a running leap and began to jump over the bog. Suddenly, Harry fell into the mud with a splash. 'Help!' he cried. 'I'm sinking!'

"Children, what do you think will happen next?"

"Arnie will rescue him," replied Julie Bean.

"Arnie was very scared," read Ms. Keane. "He had never seen anyone fall into the mud before. He stuck out his leg for Harry to grab onto, but Harry couldn't reach it. Then Arnie fetched a stick and held it out for Harry. Harry grabbed the stick in his mouth, and Arnie pulled him to safety.

"Harry's parents were mad at Arnie for issuing the challenge, but they were glad that Arnie was brave enough to save Harry. They had a big celebration in Harry's honor, and Harry learned that you should never disobey your parents. So he never went into the bog again. The end."

The children cheered, all except for Buttercup. She thought the story had been very lame. There wasn't even a car crash in it.

"Okay, now it's math time," said Ms. Keane. ""We've covered addition, and now we're going to learn subtraction. To subtract, you simply take away a certain number. For example, if I have five apples and take away two, how many do I have left?"

Blossom raised her hand. "You have three apples left," she replied.

"Very good, Blossom," said Ms. Keane. "A good way to learn is to draw a picture. So, if Todd has seven marbles and Billy takes away two marbles, how many does Todd have left?" As she talked she drew pictures to demonstrate what she was trying to say. "Bubbles, why don't you figure this one out?"

Bubbles was scared. She wasn't very good at math problems. "Um, he has nine marbles," she answered.

"No, Bubbles, that's wrong," said . "That's what he'd have if he added two marbles. Billy is taking away two. Look at the picture and see if you can get it."

Bubbles felt horrible. She was so stupid. Tears filled her eyes and she began to cry. Buttercup rolled her eyes. Sometimes Bubbles could be such a baby.

Blossom patted her sister's shoulder. "It's okay, Bubbles," she said. "Just look at the picture. You'll get it."

Bubbles did what Blossom and Ms. Keane suggested. "He'd have five marbles?" she guessed.

"That's correct, Bubbles," said Ms. Keane. "Nice job. You don't have to worry if you get an answer wrong. Just try again and you'll get it. The trick is to not give up. Now, here's another problem. Abby has four pencils, but three pencils broke. Buttercup, how many pencils does Abby have left?"

Buttercup wasn't listening at all. Instead, she was staring out the window again.

"Buttercup, we need an answer," called Ms. Keane.

The green-clad Girl still didn't answer. She was lost in her own world.

Bubbles nudged her sister. "Buttercup, Ms. Keane wants you to answer a question," she whispered. "Wake up."

"Huh?" asked Buttercup, snapping out of her daydream. The class started laughing at her.

"Nice of you to join us, Buttercup," said Ms. Keane sternly. "You need to pay attention to what I'm saying. Now, answer the question. Abby has four pencils but three pencils broke. How many does she have left?"

Buttercup shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?" she asked.

Ms. Keane grew angry. "Buttercup, have you been listening to anything I've been saying?" she demanded.

"No," answered Buttercup honestly. She had been too busy daydreaming about the fight again.

"Elmer, why don't you help Buttercup out?" suggested Ms. Keane.

Elmer Sglue was Buttercup's good friend. He smiled and said, "Abby would have one pencil left."

"Very good, Elmer," praised Ms. Keane. "Now, I'm going to hand out a worksheet of subtraction problems. Once you're done, hand in your papers to me and I'll grade them."

Back at their seat, The Powerpuff Girls had mixed feelings about the problems. Blossom was excited because she figured that after they did subtraction, they could go on to multiplication. Bubbles was worried because math wasn't her strong point. She didn't want to fail. Buttercup was bored. What was the point of learning math anyway?

After some time had passed, Ms. Keane asked the children to pass up their papers. After all of the papers were collected, Ms. Keane said, "Okay, it's time for recess. Go outside and have fun. Buttercup, you can stay. I need to speak with you."

"What is it, Ms. Keane?" asked Buttercup.

"I'm just concerned that you haven't been paying attention in class today," replied Ms. Keane. "Is anything wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," said Buttercup. "I guess I just want the day to end."

"Well, try to pay attention today," said Ms. Keane. "It's important for you to know what's going on."

"Yes, Ms. Keane," said Buttercup. Then she headed outside and spotted Mitch Mitchelson holding a dodge ball with Wes Goingon beside him. She motioned to Elmer and he came to her side.

"Hi, Buttercup," he said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Hey, Mitch, do you and Wes wanna play dodge ball with us?"

"You bet," said Mitch.

Harry Pitt and Robin Schneider also came over and asked if they could play. Buttercup was delighted and invited Robin onto her team while Harry went to Mitch's.

"All right, let's get ready to rumble!" yelled Buttercup.

The two teams faced each other and the game began. Each team through balls that nearly got the other team out. Mitch managed to hit Elmer with a ball, but Buttercup and Robin retaliated, knocking out Wes and Harry. Mitch got mad and managed to knock down Robin. Now, it was just Buttercup and Mitch left. Mitch threw his last ball, but Buttercup dodged it. Then she threw her ball in a tricky way, and it hit Mitch. Buttercup had won.

"All right!" yelled Buttercup. "I did it. I did it. I'm bad. Oh yeah." She did a little victory dance to celebrate.

"Nice job. Buttercup," said Robin. "I can't believe you beat Mitch."

"Can you show me that move you just did?" asked Elmer.

"Sure," said Buttercup. "I'll show you next time." Ms. Keane had just called the class in.

"Okay, children, now it's time for Show and Tell," Ms. Keane announced. "Who would like to come to the front of the class and show us or tell us something?"

Buttercup's hand shot in the air. She wanted to be the first one up there. After all, she had something very interesting to tell the class.

Ms. Keane looked around. "Let's see," she said. "Blossom, why don't you show us what you brought today?"

Buttercup scowled. She was so sure she was going to be picked.

Blossom stood in front of the class and showed them her book/ "This is the latest book I've been reading," she said. "It's called The History of Townsville by Robert Black and is filled with interesting facts about the city we live in. For example, the city of Townsville was founded in 1894. The first mayor of Townsville was Mr. Stan Green. He was a renowned mayor and did many good things for Townsville."

"Wonderful, Blossom," said Ms. Keane. "Does anyone have questions for Blossom?"

Mary Thompson raised her hand. "Are The Powerpuff Girls featured in the book?" she asked.

"No, this book was made before we were born," answered Blossom.

"Was there a lot of crime in Townsville back then?" asked Mitch.

"I don't know," replied Blossom. "I haven't gotten that far yet."

"Thank you, Blossom," said Ms. Keane. "Okay, who would like to go next?" Hands waved in the air. "Bubbles, why don't you go next?" suggested Ms. Keane.

Buttercup was really mad. Why didn't Ms. Keane pick her?

Bubbles went up to the front of the class and held up her doll. "This is my Pretty Penny doll," she said. "The Professor just got her for me two days ago. She was supposed to be Blossom's, but Blossom didn't want her, so the Professor gave her to me."

"Does anyone have any questions for Bubbles?" asked Ms. Keane.

Mary raised her hand. "What does your doll do?" she inquired.

"She doesn't do anything really," said Bubbles. "You can style her hair and put makeup on her, but that's it."

"Very good, Bubbles," said Ms. Keane. "Buttercup, do you have something to share with the class?"

"You bet I do!" said Buttercup, racing to the front of the room. "I beat a monster all by myself."

The class gasped in awe.

"Tell us how it happened, Buttercup," urged Ms. Keane.

"Well, we were all at home," began Buttercup. "Blossom was brushing her hair, Bubbles was drawing a picture, and I was playing with my action figures. Suddenly, the Hotline rang. It was the Mayor saying there was a giant monster in Townsville. We flew off to save the day.

"When we got there the monster roared angrily at us. We flew in to attack, but it didn't work. The monster knocked us to the ground. Then, Blossom decided to use her ice breath. She froze him, but he broke out of it, knocking her to the ground with a splat. Then Bubbles tried her laser beams. It looked like it was gonna work, but it didn't. He knocked Bubbles next to Blossom. It was awful! Neither of them stood a chance.

"I had no choice. I lunged at the monster, ready to attack. He tried to hit me with his hand, but I dodged it. I unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. The monster tried to fight back, but I was too quick. Finally, with one swift punch, I defeated the monster and saved Townsville from utter destruction."

"Excellent, Buttercup," said Ms. Keane. "Does anyone have any questions for Buttercup?"

Mary raised her hand. "Were you scared to fight the monster?" she asked.

"No," Buttercup replied. "I knew I could beat him."

"Do you think he'll come back?" Elmer questioned.

"No way," said Buttercup smugly. "He's history thanks to me."

"Do you think you could beat any monster or villain by yourself now?" asked Mitch.

"I don't think so, Mitch," said Buttercup. "I know so."

_What? Buttercup can defeat any monster or villain all by herself now? That head of hers is getting way too big!_

Blossom was shocked. How could Buttercup say such a thing? She knew Buttercup couldn't do all of that by herself. Why was she acting like she didn't need her sisters? Something wasn't right.

"Okay, class, it's snack time," announced Ms. Keane. "Robin, please pass the milk and cookies out to the class. You may also amuse yourselves as you like."

Robin passed out the milk and cookies, congratulating Buttercup when she got to the Girls' table. Then she headed back to her own seat.

Blossom ate some cookies and opened her book so she could continue reading. She wanted to see how far she could get before it was time to go home.

Bubbles began to draw some pictures. First, she drew all of the Girls in the park. Her second picture showed the Girls holding animals: Blossom held a dog, Bubbles held a cat, and Buttercup held an iguana. Her last picture was of the Girls each fighting a monster.

After she ate her snack, Buttercup built a block tower with Mitch and Elmer. "This is gonna be the best block tower ever!" she declared.

Suddenly the Powerpuff Hotline rang. Blossom hurried to answer it. "Hello?" she said. "'Yes, Mayor? A giant monster's attacking Townsville? We're on our way." She hung up the phone and turned to her sisters. "Girls, move out!" she commanded. "A giant monster is attacking Townsville!"

"We're right behind you!" Bubbles yelled.

"All right!" Buttercup cried. "Time to kick some monster butt!" Then she zipped off after her sisters.

_Hurry, Girls! This monster's pretty mean!_

The Girls saw the monster destroying Townsville. He had yellow eyes and sharp teeth.

"Okay, Girls," said Blossom. "This monster's tough. We'll have to--"

"Leave it to me, Girls!" Buttercup yelled, flying toward the monster.

"Buttercup, wait!" Blossom yelled.

But Buttercup wasn't listening. She streaked toward the monster and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks.

Blossom and Bubbles looked on as their sister beat up the monster. Then Blossom noticed that the monster was bringing his fist back. He was going to hit Buttercup! "Buttercup, watch out!" she yelled. She flew at her sister and pulled her to safety.

"Come on, Bubbles, let's take care of this ourselves," Blossom order. She and Bubbles used their eye beams to wipe out the monster. Townsville was saved, but it looked like one Powerpuff Girl wasn't too happy.

Buttercup was furious. How could Blossom do that? She had that monster beaten! "Stupid Blossom," she muttered. "She'll pay for what she did."

_Uh-oh! Buttercup's mad! Blossom better watch out! _

A/N: And chapter two is done. Sorry if the school stuff was dragging the story out. I kinda wanted to focus on a typical day for the Girls at school. So, was it good? Bad? Feel free to leave a review. I'll be sure to update soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: An Argument

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter of this story. I'm sorry it took so long, but there was news about a worm that was going to infect computers on April first, and I didn't want that to happen. So, that's why this chapter is late. I wanted to be sure it didn't hit early. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed so far. It's because of you that I'm continuing this story.

Disclaimer: The Powerpuff Girls and all related characters belong to Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network. I only own the plot of this story.

The Powerpuff Girls went back to school in mixed moods. Blossom was mad because Buttercup had taken matters into her own hands instead of working with her sisters. She felt that Buttercup was letting her head get too big because of her triumph. Therefore, it was her duty to bring Buttercup down to earth.

Bubbles was sad because she knew her sisters were going to fight, and she hated when that happened. She felt that life would be better if everyone got along instead of fighting all the time.

Buttercup was furious at Blossom for interfering in the fight. Blossom was just jealous that Buttercup had triumphed and she hadn't. After all, Blossom was the leader of the Powerpuff Girls and felt that such triumphs should happen to her and no one else.

When the Girls returned to school they continued doing what they had been doing before until the bell rang.

"Now, class," Ms. Keane said, "it's time to go home. Have a nice day, and I'll see you tomorrow."

All of the children said goodbye to Ms. Keane and left. The Powerpuff Girls took to the skies, except for Buttercup. She was talking to Elmer about something.

"Buttercup, come on!" Blossom ordered.

"I'm walking Elmer home," Buttercup declared. "I'll be there later."

"Suit yourself," Blossom replied. Then she and Bubbles flew off in a streak of pink and blue.

"You and your sisters are cool," Elmer said as he and Buttercup walked along.

"Try living with them," Buttercup grumbled. "You wouldn't think they were so cool then."

"Why do you say that?" Elmer asked. "I think it would be cool having a sister as smart as Blossom is."

"Blossom's a know-it-all," Buttercup scoffed. "She's jealous of me because I beat a monster and she didn't. I can't stand her."

"What about Bubbles?" Elmer inquired. "She's so sweet and kind to everyone."

"Bubbles is a baby!" Buttercup replied. "She's cries over the dumbest things. Yesterday I knocked Octi off the bed and she started crying about how I hurt him. She cried over a dumb stuffed octopus. I'd love to tear that thing to pieces. And as for Blossom, I'd love to break that mirror she's so fond of."

"Buttercup, stop talking like that," Elmer begged. "That's so mean of you. You should be thankful that you have sisters who love you. I'd give anything to have a sister or a brother."

"Whatever," said Buttercup, rolling her eyes. Elmer just didn't understand anything. Her sisters were a nuisance, and she didn't want them around anymore.

"Well, here we are," said Elmer when they reached his house.

"Yeah, I guess so," replied Buttercup. "See you later."

"'Bye," said Elmer. As he turned to go inside, he remembered something and turned back. "Uh, Buttercup?"

'Yeah?" Buttercup said, turning around.

"Don't worry about Blossom," advised Elmer. "I don't think she was jealous of you. She was just trying to save you from the monster."

"Whatever," said Buttercup again. She waved to Elmer and flew away. She wasn't going to take Elmer's advice. She knew Blossom was jealous of her.

Elmer watched Buttercup leave. He hoped that she wouldn't start a fight with Blossom. He didn't want the Powerpuff Girls to break up because of that.

When Buttercup got home she went straight to the Girls' room. She found Blossom brushing her hair and Bubbles drawing a picture of a flower. They both looked up when Buttercup came in.

"Hi, Buttercup," said Blossom. Even though she was angry at Buttercup, she didn't want to fight. She'd just had a talk with Bubbles about it before Buttercup came home. "How was your walk with Elmer?"

"Shut up!" growled Buttercup.

"What did I do?" asked Blossom innocently.

"You know darn well what you did!" replied Buttercup. "You interfered in my fight with the monster."

"Oh, that," said Blossom.

"Yes, that," repeated Buttercup. "Why did you do it?"

"I saved you," answered Blossom. "You could've gotten hurt badly."

"What do you mean?" demanded Buttercup. "I had that monster right where I wanted him."

"You know it takes teamwork to fight a monster," said Blossom firmly.

"I didn't see you or Bubbles fighting the monster," pointed out Buttercup.

"That's because I was trying to get you away from it," said Blossom. "Bubbles was staying out of the way so I could lead you to safety."

"Hah!" snapped Buttercup. "You're jealous of me!"

"What?" cried Blossom. "Where did you get such an idea?"

"You're jealous because I beat a monster and you didn't," replied Buttercup. "You're the leader of this group, and you feel that every triumph should happen to you. Since it happened to me, you're jealous."

"That's crazy talk!" Blossom said. "I'm not jealous of you. I look at every triumph as a triumph for the team, not individually. I saved you from the monster because I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Well, you shouldn't have," Buttercup snarled. "I could have fought him on my own."

"That's ridiculous," Blossom declared. "No one can fight a monster on their own. They would need a lot of help. Besides, you disobeyed an order from me."

"What order?" Buttercup yelled.

"I was going to use a tactical plan to subdue the monster," Blossom answered. "But you decided to take matters into your own hands and fight the monster yourself. I should've let the monster hurt you. At least it would've knocked some sense into your head."

"Excuse me?" sneered Buttercup. "Are you implying that I don't have any sense?"

"Yes, I am," replied Blossom. "You're too trapped in a fantasy world to listen to orders."

"Well, you think you're so smart that you can correct everyone's faults!" retorted Buttercup.

"I'm smarted than you," declared Blossom.

"Well, I'm tougher than you," said Buttercup.

Bubbles was listening to all of this with a worried expression on her face. She wanted to do something, but she figured it wasn't time yet. Buttercup and Blossom hadn't hit each other, and she hoped it wouldn't get that far.

"I don't care if you're tougher than me," said Blossom. "You're just an egotistical glory hound."

"And you're a stuck up know-it-all!" retorted Buttercup.

"What?" yelled Blossom. "How dare you!" She started toward Buttercup.

Buttercup was ready. "Go ahead," she challenged. "Hit me with your best shot!"

Bubbles saw what was about to happen and rushed to get in between the Girls. "Stop!" she begged. "Powerpuff Girls don't fight. We stick together."

Blossom lowered her arm. "You're right, Bubbles," she said softly. "I guess I just wasn't thinking clearly."

But Buttercup was still mad. "Butt out!" she yelled. With a swipe of her hand she knocked Bubbles to the ground.

"Bubbles!" Blossom cried, hurrying to her sister's side. Bubbles was crying and clutching her eye. Then Blossom turned to Buttercup. "How could you do such a thing?" she yelled.

"Spare me your lectures, Blossom!" Buttercup snapped back. "She had it coming to her!"

"That's a horrible thing to say!" Blossom said. "You apologize to Bubbles this instant!"

"No," Buttercup said. "I'm not sorry. You should be sorry."

"I thought you were a Powerpuff Girl. I guess I was wrong."

"Fine," Buttercup spat. "I never wanted to be in the group anyway. I quit!" And with that, she flew off.

"Good riddance!" Blossom yelled after her. Then she continued to comfort Bubbles who was still crying about her black eye.

Footsteps told the Girls that the Professor was coming upstairs. Sure enough, he appeared in their room. "What's going on?' he demanded. "I thought I heard yelling." Then he noticed Bubbles. "Bubbles, what happened to you?" he asked.

Bubbles sniffed. "B--Buttercup hit me," she said, showing him her black eye.

"What?" the Professor yelled. "Why would she do this?"

"B--because I was trying to break up the fight between Blossom and Buttercup," Bubbles replied. "They were gonna hit one another."

"Did Buttercup hurt you, too?" the Professor asked his pink-clad daughter.

"Not physically," Blossom said bitterly. "I'm still mad at her for what she did to Bubbles and what she said about me."

"I'm sure she was just mad," the Professor said. "You know how Buttercup can get. I don't think she meant to do it."

"Yes, she did," Blossom insisted.

"Well, I'll have a talk with her," the Professor said. "Where is she?"

"She flew off," Bubbles answered.

"Then I'll talk to her later," the Professor decided. "For now, we should get some ice on that eye and then head down to dinner. What do you Girls want?'

"I want the blue chicken with the ham and cheese inside," Bubbles replied.

The Professor was confused for a minute until he realized what Bubbles meant. "Oh, you mean the chicken cordon bleu," he said with a chuckle. "That sounds like a good meal. Blossom, what do you want?"

"I'll have that, too, Professor," Blossom said. "But I want to stay here and eat it."

"Okay, honey, that's fine," the Professor said. He and Bubbles headed downstairs. The blue-clad Puff settled in her chair while the Professor got some ice cubes out of the refrigerator and placed them in a bag. Then he handed it to Bubbles and told her to place it on her eye. After that, he began to gather the ingredients for what the Girls wanted.

"So, what was the fight about, Bubbles?" he asked her.

Bubbles explained all that had happened starting with the monster fight and ending with Buttercup flying away.

"I knew that would happen," said the Professor, shaking his head. "I just knew that Buttercup would get a big head over her triumph. I should have warned her about that, but I figured that maybe Blossom would."

"She did, but Buttercup wouldn't listen," said Bubbles. "Do you think Buttercup will come back, Professor."

The Professor wasn't sure, but he didn't want to worry Bubbles. "I'm sure she will," he assured her as he made the Girls' dinner. Once he was finished he suggested that they both eat with Blossom upstairs. Bubbles thought that was a good idea, so the two headed upstairs.

Blossom was sitting at her vanity table brushing her red hair. She looked up when Bubbles and the Professor came in. "Hi, guys," she said.

"Hi, Blossom," said Bubbles. "We brought you some food."

"Thanks," Blossom said. She went over to the tray and began to eat. The Professor and Bubbles sat next to her and began to eat as well.

"So, did you hear about the fight?" Blossom asked her father.

"Yes, I did," the Professor answered. "I think both of you did wrong by fighting like that. You Girls are sisters and should love each other no matter what. I understand that each of you isn't perfect, but you should accept those faults instead of fighting all the time."

"What do you mean?" Blossom asked. "What faults do I have?"

"Well, you're very smart, but I think you tend to overdo things a lot," the Professor answered. "Buttercup does the same because of her toughness. Both of you differ in ways, but you should overlook those differences and accept them."

"Do I have any faults, Professor?" asked Bubbles.

"Yes, sometimes you can be too trusting at times," the Professor said. "But I don't think any of you are bad at all. You strive to do good, and that's what you should do. The group shouldn't break up because of this fight. I really hope you and Buttercup will resolve this, Blossom."

"I will if she comes back," Blossom sighed.

"She'll come back," Bubbles reassured her. "The Professor said so."

"Yes, I did," the Professor agreed. "I don't think Buttercup will abandon us. She loves us too much."

After dinner was over, Bubbles volunteered to wash and dry the dishes. The Professor went down to his lab to work, and Bubbles was going to watch _The TV Puppet Pals. _Blossom told Bubbles that she just wanted to be left alone.

Bubbles did her chore and settled in to watch her favorite show. It wasn't the same as when she watched it with her sisters, but she knew it would be silly to miss it just because Buttercup wasn't there. She could just hear Buttercup scoffing at her for being a baby.

Blossom sat alone on her side of the bed, thinking about Buttercup. She regretted the fight they'd had and wished that Buttercup was here so she could apologize and end their rivalry. Even if Buttercup didn't apologize right away, Blossom would wait. The Professor was right. The group couldn't break up now. Blossom vowed to herself that she would make sure The Powerpuff Girls stayed together.

In no time at all, it was time for bed. She heard Bubbles come up and get ready for bed. Blossom did the same, though she didn't want to. After both Girls were dressed and ready, they snuggled into their bed.

The Professor came up to tuck them in and kiss them goodnight. "All ready for bed?" he asked.

"All except one," Blossom said gloomily. She looked at the spot where Buttercup would lay.

"Don't worry, Girls," the Professor reassured them. "I'm sure Buttercup will be back tomorrow. Try to get some sleep." He kissed them goodnight and went down to watch the news.

Bubbles fell asleep almost instantly, but Blossom lay awake. Despite what the Professor had said, Blossom didn't believe that Buttercup would come back. She was too headstrong to admit that she let her ego get the better of her. Besides, Blossom knew she shouldn't have said those mean things to Buttercup. Sure, Buttercup was egotistical at times, but she was also protective of her sisters. Blossom knew it was her fault that Buttercup had run away, and she wished she could turn back the clock and take it all back.

A/N: Well, that's the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will reveal what Buttercup is doing and where she is. Feel free to leave a review!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Buttercup's Defeat

A/N: Yay! I finally got around to updating this! I'm sorry I took so long, but I was very busy with other things. Hopefully, I'll be able to update this faster now, but we'll see. Please don't be mad if I don't update right away because things do tend to get hectic. Thank a million to all who have read and reviewed this story so far. Your kind words have been very encouraging to me, and I'm glad to see you like this story. Feel free to leave a review after reading this chapter.

Disclaimer: The Powerpuff Girls and all related characters are property of Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network. I'm only using them for this story, and the plot is all I own.

_Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Townsville…._

Buttercup sat on a cliff overlooking the lake. She'd been there all night, thinking about the fight she'd had with Blossom. At that time, she'd been angry at Blossom and Bubbles and wished she didn't have any sisters at all. Now, her anger had faded away, and in its place was a feeling of guilt. Buttercup knew she had to go back and make up with her sisters. It was the only way to keep the group together.

She started to fly home, but as she neared Townsville, she spotted a monster. He was exactly the same color as the one she'd defeated before; he was the same one who had invaded Townsville when Blossom interfered in the fight.

"All right!" Buttercup said to herself. "Time to kick some monster butt!"

She flew at the monster and delivered a flurry of kicks and punches. The monster tried to fight back, but Buttercup was too quick for him. With one swift punch, Buttercup defeated the monster.

"Yes!" Buttercup yelled triumphantly. "Score one for the good guys!"

_Great job, Buttercup. You really defeated that monster. But, wait a second! The monster's getting up! You'd better watch out, Buttercup! _

Buttercup had no idea the monster was awake. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, got punched in the face, and fell in a green heap. Dazed, she lay there for a minute, trying to think of what to do. She couldn't let the monster win. With a determined look on her face, she lunged at the monster, preparing to attack.

He saw her coming at him, but he was ready. As Buttercup advanced toward him, he shot a laser out of his eyes. It hit Buttercup, making her cry out. She had been hit with an energy ray!

As Buttercup's strength began to leave her, the monster began to hit her again and again. Buttercup tried to fight back, but she was too weak. Finally, the monster gave a swift punch, and Buttercup fell to the ground in a green heap, lying motionless.

_Oh no! Has Buttercup been defeated by the monster? Say it isn't so! _

The monster looked down at Buttercup with a nasty grin on his face then turned and walked away. The townspeople were stunned. They couldn't believe that Buttercup had actually been defeated by a monster. Where were her sisters? Why didn't they help her?

Suddenly, someone spotted pink and blue streaks in the sky. Blossom and Bubbles landed at the spot where Buttercup lay and gasped.

"What happened?" asked Blossom.

Ms. Bellum came forward. "A monster was destroying Townsville," she replied. "Buttercup came and tried to fight it on her own, but the monster tricked her and beat her up."

"Why didn't the Mayor call us?" asked Blossom.

"He didn't want to," answered Ms. Bellum. "He thought that Buttercup could handle the monster on her own. I tried to persuade him to call you, but he wouldn't listen to me. Now Buttercup's hurt."

"We'd better take her home," suggested Blossom. "I'm sure the Professor can take care of her. Did the monster just punch her?"

"No," Ms. Bellum replied. "First he shot her with some kind of ray that made Buttercup weak. That's when the monster just beat her up." She sighed. "I'm so sorry, Girls. I just wish I could've done something more."

"It's not your fault, Ms. Bellum," Blossom reassured her. "You did what you could. We'll take her home and let the Professor see to her. Come on, Bubbles." And with that, the Girls flew home.

_Oh dear! Let's hope the Professor can take care of Buttercup! _

Back at home, the Girls and the Professor attended to Buttercup. She still wasn't awake yet, which worried Blossom and Bubbles. The Professor assured them Buttercup would wake up soon.

"Is she gonna be okay?" asked Blossom.

"I don't know," said the Professor. "She's hurt pretty badly. If she hit her head, she may have amnesia."

"Huh?" asked Bubbles.

"He means she may have lost her memory," explained Blossom.

"Oh," said Bubbles. "Can you fix her, Professor?"

"I'll try," replied the Professor. "But I can't do anything until she wakes up. I'm going down to the lab. You Girls can keep an eye on her if you want to."

"I'll do it," volunteered Bubbles.

"Okay, Bubbles," the Professor said. "Let me know when she wakes up, okay?"

"Good," the Professor said and went down to his lab.

Blossom went down to the living room. She sat on the couch and looked as the photo albums. As she flipped through the pages, one picture caught her eye. It was a picture of herself and Buttercup congratulating each other after winning a game at the fair. Buttercup had her arms around Blossom in a tight embrace. Blossom sighed. How she wished it was like that now.

But Buttercup lay upstairs, unconscious. A horrible thought hit Blossom: What if Buttercup didn't wake up? How would she and Bubbles do any fighting without their sister? Buttercup was a big part of the team, and losing her would diminish that. There was no way they'd be able to fight without her, but they'd have to do so. If they didn't, they'd let Townsville down. Tears came to Blossom's eyes as she thought about all of this, and she cried for a little while.

Upstairs, Bubbles was also crying and hugging Octi to her. Bubbles was scared and wished Buttercup would wake up.

"Oh, Octi, everything's falling apart," she sobbed. "Buttercup's still not awake. If she doesn't wake up soon, the Powerpuff Girls won't be together anymore! I'm so frightened! If only there was a way to make Buttercup better!"

Then she thought of something and picked up Octi, placing him in Buttercup's arms. "There," she said. "Now Buttercup can get better." She decided to go downstairs to see how Blossom was doing.

Blossom was still looking at photo albums when Bubbles came in. "Hi, Bubbles," she said. "How's Buttercup?"

"She's still not awake," Bubbles replied.

"Oh," Blossom said in a soft voice.

Then the Professor came upstairs. "How's Buttercup doing?" he asked.

"She's not awake yet," Blossom said mournfully. Her lips began to quiver, and she ran from the room, sobbing.

Bubbles wanted to go after her, but the Professor laid hand on her arm. "Just give her some time alone," he advised gently.

_Back upstairs, Buttercup's still out cold! But wait! She's waking up! Blossom's going to be so happy when she sees her sister's awake! _

Buttercup's eyes fluttered open. Where was she? How did she get in the Girls' room? Looking down, she saw that Octi was in her arms, but why was he there? And why did her head feel funny?

Suddenly, Blossom came in, but she wasn't smiling. Tears were pouring out of her pink eyes. Buttercup was shocked. Something had to be wrong. "Blossom, are you okay?" she asked.

Blossom looked up and saw that Buttercup was awake. Then she gasped as she looked at Buttercup's injuries. She had two black eyes, and her face was covered in bruises. Bandages surrounded her head. Looking at her sister this way made Blossom cry harder.

"Blossom, what's wrong?" Buttercup asked. "Why are you crying?"

"It's my fault!" Blossom sobbed. "It's my fault you're like this. If I hadn't said those nasty things to you, this never would've happened!"

Buttercup put an arm around her sister. "Blossom, it's not your fault," she said. "It's my fault. I was mean to you and Bubbles. My ego got in the way of my thinking. I wasn't acting like a true Powerpuff Girl, and I'm really sorry. I deserved to get beat up by the monster."

"Buttercup, don't say that!" Blossom pleaded. "No one deserves to get hurt like that. Bubbles and I feel so bad because we weren't there for you."

"Why not?" Buttercup inquired.

"The Mayor didn't call us," answered Blossom.

"What?!" yelled Buttercup. "Why didn't he call you? He knew there was a monster out there."

"He thought you could handle it on your own," replied Blossom.

"It's still not right," muttered Buttercup.

Then Bubbles came in and saw that Buttercup was awake. "Buttercup, you're awake!" she cried. She went downstairs and saw the Professor. "Hey, Professor, Buttercup's awake!" she said happily.

The Professor jumped off the couch and ran upstairs with Bubbles behind him. He came in the room to see Buttercup sitting up in bed. What a relief! He was so afraid he'd almost lost his daughter. "Buttercup, you're awake!" he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm sore, but I'm alive," answered Buttercup.

"I think we should go out for ice cream to celebrate," suggested Bubbles.

"I'm sorry, Bubbles," said the Professor. "Buttercup's in no shape to be going anywhere right now."

"Can we have ice cream after school tomorrow?" asked Bubbles.

"Sorry, honey, but you Girls have to train," said the Professor. "We can get ice cream after that. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good," answered Bubbles.

That night, Buttercup and her sisters got ready for bed. Buttercup handed Octi back to Bubbles. "Why did you have him beside me?" she asked her sister.

"Because I figured he'd make you get better," said Bubbles. "And I was right, wasn't I?"

"Yeah, you were," answered Buttercup.

"All right, Girls, it's time for bed," said the Professor. "Sweet dreams." He kissed them goodnight, turned out the light, and left the door open a crack.

Blossom and Bubbles fell asleep easily, but Buttercup had a hard time. She started counting sheep, and soon her eyelids closed as sleep overcame her.

Buttercup dreamed that the Girls were having a picnic in the park when a monster invaded Townsville. The Girls sprang into action to save Townsville from danger once again.

Blossom tried to kick the monster in the head, but he knocked her to the ground with a swipe of his hand. Bubbles tried tying his legs together, but that didn't work, and she fell to the ground in a heap. Buttercup knew it was up to her to defeat this monster and save the day.

She rocketed toward the monster, preparing to attack, but then she froze. As she stared at the monster, she realized that it was the same monster who defeated her so mercilessly. What was she going to do?

"Go get him, Buttercup!" yelled the townspeople.

But Buttercup stayed where she was. She saw the monster's fist go back and knew he was going to hit her. She didn't stand a chance. "No!" she yelled.

The Professor came in after hearing Buttercup's cry and shook her. "Buttercup, wake up," he urged. "It's just a dream."

Buttercup woke up with a start and looked around. She hadn't been in the park at all. "It was just a dream," she muttered.

"Are you okay?" asked the Professor, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Buttercup. "It was just a dumb dream."

The Professor knew she was just saying that to act tough, but he knew the dream had scared her. He thought about staying with her until she fell asleep, but he figured she didn't want that. Instead, he decided to let her get to sleep on her own and kissed her goodnight. As he went downstairs, he knew something had to be done. This defeat had hit Buttercup pretty hard, and he knew it was going to take time for her to recover from it. He figured that Buttercup would have to talk about what was bothering her sooner or later. It was the only way to make her feel better. If she didn't, something else could happen, and he didn't want that. He'd do anything to protect his Girls.

A/N: Okay, not the best way to end it, but I did my best. I hope you guys liked it. Feel free to leave a review after you've finished reading.


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